I do like to point to concrete things. I like to say: Here There Be Kids Doing Things. See the book lists and the classes and the projects? Yes, we definitely are-be doing things. But what about the last three weeks? What about a four thousand mile road trip that included geography, history, sociology, hyper-enrichment, and a freaktastic balloon ride? Just how long do we allow for digestion, integration, simmering, and composting? If you never test, you never call an end point to learning. And the fact is, intellectual compost is permanent for the life of the human.
The bigger danger is in doing too much. That was the very first homeschooling advice I got. And I can still remember my deep suspicion of that advice on a warm summer day in Texas in 2004. Oh yeah sure, I, the laziest human on the planet, should fear over scheduling, over exposing, over worrying, and generally over doing homeschooling? Yes. Doing too much is the very most common mistake in homeschooling. Which is a trait we share with institutional schools, by the way, the Arby's of education.
Its easy to see why. Humans can see neither into the rising sun nor the future. Not even mothers, not even Superintendents, no matter how long and willfully we stare. Planning up future time is all we can do. It gives us a cozy sense of pride and solidity. We have plans, we have the will to follow through, we shall proceed. But we have no evidence that much planning and following through without pause is good for children intellectually, neurologically, nor emotionally. In fact, there is evidence to the contrary.
Which is why we call ourselves unschoolers. Which is why, this semester, I'm taking plans as they unfold or as they originate with the children. And by semester I mean, for a while. My kids are never exactly forced. But coercion is strong with mothers and where do we draw the line?
Here. I'm drawing the line on planning here. I am not paying for classes this semester. I'm supporting the will to learn as it arrives in the foreground, in focus, immediate, in the moment.
What a lovely post. I hope you have a winter that's different and enlightening. Sometimes stepping away for a bit helps identify both what you miss and what you don't.
ReplyDeleteWhich tells the whole story. love, Val
really? you plan things? you sneak! and here I am blindly following your apparent lead and doing n o t h i n g year after year, and come to find out, you have been doing something. sheesh! well, welcome to the world you created - we're over here with yet another year of no plans, at all... (it's certainly not MY fault how they turn out. willing to step up and be my scape goat?....i thought not.)
ReplyDeleteWell, now now. Here's the thing. I've always said unschooling is not nothing. Unschooling is child led learning and the adults aren't passive. We strew, we shine lights, we "keep a rich environment", and we lead through example.
ReplyDeleteAnd, in my case, I nudge my kids to choose some classes each semester. Like art or aikido or guitar or computers or (one unfortunate semester) Spanish. I say unfortunate because the teaching was awful, the kids hated it, and it reinforced every stereotype of the absurdity of formal education for the kids. But the kids are always choosing what they want to do and are always free to quit. They always get to choose in all ways. We don't fight over keeping on or keeping up or following through. Its never me standing over them saying "finish that homework or you don't get to play your video games." We might have philosophic discussions about how and why to choose. But I never force them to study anything specific.
But where is the line between choosing and pleasing your mother? I'm just trying to acknowledge that line and how it seems to be rightly shifting now that these kids are getting older. And also, as they get older, I can feel time running out. (In my mind in my ego construct and in the world that says school only happens K-12 into college and nothing else counts.)
Sheesh is right. (((((hugs my friend)))) And your kids have never done nothing. You ain't foolin' me!
big laughter over here...and thanks.
ReplyDelete